Location: Andes, Ecuador.

Height: 5,216m AMSL

Date Summited: December 12th, 2013, at 10:00am  (ECT) – local time

Expedition: Guided

Route: Normal (South East ridge)

Précis:

Friend André Simoneau and I regrouped once again for an expedition, this time to the Ecuadorian Andes, climbing a series of volcanoes including: Illiniza Norte, Illiniza Sur, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Because of permit issues and regulations on Cotopaxi, we hired the legendary local guide Ivo Veloz.

For the Illinizas, we combined both climbs in under 24 hours. We climbed from the hut to the summit via the South East ridge, which is considered the normal route. The route is in great conditions and it consist of entirely rock climbing, AD Class III. The climb on Illiniza Norte was brilliant, with great weather and absolutely no traffic, leaving the mountain entirely to ourselves!

André Simoneau and Antoine Labranche standing on the summit of Illiniza Norte

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